Empty Spaces
by Curry-Ona
Summary: AU, HS fic. Young love is a virus that everyone catches, whether you're a prodigy or a simple girl with a badass aim and rumoured taste for bondage. Series of oneshots. NejiTen, NaruHina, SasuSaku, Shikatema.


**Empty Spaces**

**Chapter One: Hyuuga Neji and Tenten**

**Tenten**

'_Seriously, these people are annoying the hell out of me.'_

Tenten sighed deeply as she cradled her aching head in her hands. As usual, the respective presidents of the school's clubs and organizations were bitching about the funding for this month. Funds have always been an issue between clubs, and the student council always had to their work and resolve it. But damn, she's getting tired of it! One of these days, Tenten was sure, she'll flip her desk over and just give the lot of them the finger.

'_Oh, that would be splendid.'_

—but, extremely foolish, and Neji will probably never speak to her ever again and Gai-sensei would be utterly disappointed. Tenten cursed under her breath and proceeded to listen to the whining club presidents.

"Why does basketball club get to have an increase?" Asked Haruno Sakura, a sophomore but already the volleyball club's team captain and president, and Tenten had no doubts about the younger girl's abilities. Sakura had a badass spike, something that Tenten got to learn from experience. "With all the school facilities they've blown up, all those repair costs should be deducted to their budget!"

The other presidents nodded in assent. Tenten looked at Neji, the Hyuuga Neji whom the entire school feared and respected. His name was legend itself, his academic performance almost a miracle, his appearance a dessert to any hot-blooded female, but his social skills as rusty as that old ninjato she owned but never favoured. In social interactions, that was where Tenten came in. She had more patience and humility, and she can be strict and friendly at the same time, something that the entire student body was thankful for.

When it came to these kinds of decisions though, Neji gets to have the cake. As the president, he's still the one who makes the final judgement. Tenten, even though she appeared calm and composed like the guy beside her, was itching for the damned meeting to end.

"Basketball club gets to enter the nationals in a couple of months. We need to provide more support to them, Haruno-san. If volleyball club managed to get to the nationals too, then you could've had a higher budget as well."

Sakura looked like she was about to punch him, but like Tenten, she saw the truth in the student council president's words and just gritted her teeth in silent anger. Tenten just bit her lip, and shuffled the papers in her hands to diffuse some of the tension crackling in the air.

"Uhm...So…Is that all?" She asked.

"Meeting adjourned. Thank you everyone." Neji stood up and bowed, the rest of them following his actions. The students shuffled out of the room faster than a ninja would. Haruno Sakura lingered for a bit and waved at Tenten.

"See you tonight, Ten-chan! Ino's crib." The pink-haired captain said in farewell.

Tenten felt Neji's eyes on her. "We're having a sleepover at Ino's. Don't worry, I'll take care of Hinata." He had always been protective of his younger cousin. Overprotective, most of them would say. Although sometimes his measures were downright ridiculous, Tenten felt that Neji just wanted to make up for all the bad things he had done to Hinata in the past.

When they were younger, Neji had hated Hinata and her family. He felt that they had taken away everything that had been meant for him. It took a wounded pride and heavy beating from one of the school's delinquents to change his perspective and eventually forgive them.

But _that_ was the _past_. Tenten liked Neji better now. Although he still have a hard time trusting people and letting them in, at least he wasn't angry and sullen anymore. But she had to admit, sometimes, when Neji just broods, it was adorable and…endearing.

She watched as he moved to his desk and scribbled something on a piece of paper, brows drawn together in concentration and stress. His eyes, although pale and almost milk-white, showed such graphic emotions and were hauntingly beautiful. It was probably one of the reasons why despite his attitude, girls still fell on his feet and melt into useless goo. His nose and cheekbones were a Hyuuga trait he shared with Hinata, but his cheekbones was more angular and chiselled, like he had been one of those marble sculptures those artisans created. His jaw matched his long narrow face and less angular than the rest of his face had been. This, Tenten guessed, he got from his mother.

His lips. Tenten would always look at them last (she often strayed away from other parts of his anatomy because that is dangerous territory). 'Save the best for last' as the saying went. Next to his eyes, it was her next favourite part of his face. When he's annoyed, it's clamped shut into a thin line. When he's angry, flashes of teeth often peeked out. When he's amused, there's just a sly smirk. When he's happy, the smile would just appear as ghosts—barely there but still exists. Only Tenten and their close friend Lee got to see these rare phenomenon from the Hyūga and still live afterwards.

His eyes suddenly shifted upwards and caught hers.

Tenten felt her heartbeat halt and her body freeze. Her brain racked itself on what to do, but her eyes stayed on his, trying to decipher what she saw in his moonlight gaze. Confusion? Surprise? A hint of amusement? Or was it Tenten's own emotions that she saw mirrored there?

Why was she always staring at Neji? Why would she always tolerate him, be patient and learn his exclusive vocabulary? Why would she always try her hardest to please him and impress him and match his ability? Why was she asking all these questions now?

'_Because he's my best friend?' _The questioning tone of her answer befuddled her all the more.

Tenten blinked, throat dry but managed to cough and dispel the trance. "Uhm, N-Neji, I think we should call it a day."

'_Please do not ask why I'm staring at you, please do not ask, please, please!'_

He nodded, grabbed his bag and walked to the door. "I'll walk you home."

"A-Actually, I, uhh… I still have to drop by Sakura's." Tenten answered. It was half a lie, she could've dropped at Sakura's on her way to Ino's, but with had happened earlier, a walk home with Neji was the least she wanted.

She wanted some space, to think.

Neji's face rearranged itself into its passive mask. He stood straighter and stiff, and Tenten felt guilty. She hated lying to anyone, especially to Neji, since his trust did not come so easy. But she really had to think things through. Besides, the Hyūga Estate was on the other side of the town, she's doing him a favour of saving his strength for training or something.

He merely nodded, and opened the door for her. She smiled meekly, feeling ridiculously self-conscious.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Neji."

Words were elusive to him suddenly. He just nodded.

**Neji**

He watched her as she disappeared into the distance. He noticed that that bounce on her step was absent, and she was dragging her feet with her hands behind her, her free hand clasped around her other wrist.

Girls had always puzzled Neji. And Tenten, despite being his best friend, puzzled him nonetheless.

She had always watched him whenever she thought he wasn't looking. She thought so because he never gave any indication that he was aware of her stare. Through the years he learned to ignore it and the way it made his skin tingle and his pulse race. It felt like a game, a challenge, on who would crack first. But it seemed that it was he who had lost.

When he couldn't take it anymore, he decided to lift his eyes up, and for the first time, catch her.

How he regretted his decision.

She always appeared cheerful, independent and friendly. Tenten always seemed to seek harmony, but never hesitated to fight for what she thought was right. She always wanted herself to look strong, but Neji knew better. She was fragile and vulnerable, and always guarded herself with her cheery attitude. She'd answer serious questions with jokes, or skirt around the subject with small, mundane talk. He found it amazing, something to admire and despise at the same time. He felt like he knew everything about her, and still peg her as an enigma.

Enigma—yes—that, she'll always be. He knew she'd been orphaned at a young age, hated rain, liked spicy food and drinks tea before going to bed and the morning after, but what he didn't know what was in her mind and what she feels. With Tenten, he only saw what she wanted him to see. And despite being perceptive and a prodigy, he still hasn't been able to explore that side of her. It was one of the things he'd been dying to do.

Neji took out the small, red silken pouch from his pocket and let a small smile appear on his face. His name was embroidered on it using gold-coloured thread, and even though Tenten's embroidery was disastrous, for Neji, the gift was priceless. He opened the pouch and took out the red hair ribbons that Tenten once wore and a small neatly folded piece of paper. He unfolded it and re-read the words written in her neat handwriting.

'_Happy Birthday! Just in case you'd like to try it on yourself.'_

It had always been a recurring joke between the two of them, it was annoying and it sometimes pisses him off. The first time they met was when they were seven, and Tenten had pestered him on tying his hair on those twin chignons she wore. Somehow, that had been a catalyst of their _friendship._

_Friendship. _Oh, how Neji despised that word. For most, friendship is a thread that binds people together, but for him, it is the muzzle that kept him from taking a step forward.

But would a romantic relationship, uncertain as it was, be enough payment for the years of friendship they've had?

He wasn't a prodigy for nothing, he can confidently say that what he felt was mutual, he knew the signs, and he always thought about it. If they were to be more than friends, how long will it last? Once the relationship ends, it would surely be impossible for things to go back to the way it was. The awkwardness a while ago was a perfect example. He made a slight move and she cowered.

He stared at ribbons between his fingers and sighed uncharacteristically.

'_What should I do?'_

"Oi! Neji!" Someone shouted.

He hastily placed the ribbons back inside the pouch and simultaneously turned around while putting Tenten's gift back into his pocket. It wouldn't do his reputation any good if they saw him brooding over a pair of hair ribbons, especially if it's Uzumaki Naruto and the entire basketball club who had just called out his name.

"Why are you standing there like an idiot? Come with us to Ichiraku's!" His blonde _kouhai_ said briskly, like he had not been playing basketball for the last three hours.

"Yosh! Naruto-kun is right, Neji, my friend! You must come with us and eat a hearty bowl of noodles and soup to fuel our youth! I'll eat twenty bowls if that would convince you to accept our invitation!" Lee, his and Tenten's childhood friend was with them, apparently, and Neji knew there is no saying no to him. If he wouldn't come, he'd probably give himself a trip to the hospital for overeating.

"Oh no Lee, twenty bowls doesn't seem enough to convince Mr. President. I suggest you make that forty." Inuzuka Kiba managed to say while sniggering, but immediately sobered when Neji glared at him.

"Okay I'll go." He finally relented. Perhaps hanging around with these knuckleheads will help him clear his mind and solve his problem. Nara Shikamaru and Aburame Shino was there anyway, he'd have someone to share his silence with.

"Woohoo! Let's go! Kiba's treat!" Naruto whooped.

"Not! Naruto, you asshole!"

Neji inwardly sighed. He was doubted he'll clear his mind with this lot.

**Tenten**

"So…" Yamanaka Ino began, "Tenten dear, spill."

Tenten blinked her eyes. "Spill what?"

Haruno Sakura poked her side her chopsticks. "Oh, quit that, Ten-chan! Come on, tell us what happened after the meeting that has taken your mind far, far away this evening." Sakura winked.

"Oh. Nothing new. _Nothing happened._"

'_Except that he'd finally caught me staring and probably deciphered my feelings in milliseconds. Wait—my feelings? My feelings?!'_

Ino slinked closer, wrapping a slender arm around her. Tenten somehow saw this coming. The girls always have to make sure they were updated on gossips, mostly about each other's love life. If not, then what was the whole point of the entire sleepover? It was Ino's tactful way of obtaining information firsthand.

"Uhm…well…Ten, it has been years, maybe, just maybe, Neji isn't…you know…."

"We all know Neji likes Tenten just fine!" Sakura protested.

"Let me finish, forehead!" Ino snipped. "There's no doubt Neji likes you, but maybe he likes someone else, more than he likes you."

"If he likes anyone, I would know. Hinata would know, right Hinata?" Tenten looked at the Hyuuga heiress for the much-needed support.

"Tenten-chan is right. Neji-nii-san w-would act weird if he l-liked someone."

Ino's blue eyes narrowed and then impossibly widened. "Oh my God, Tenten! Don't tell me he's ga—"

"He's not gay, Ino!" Tenten felt like tearing her hair out, hers and Ino's. "I asked him once, as a joke, he answered seriously and didn't talk to me the entire day."

"See? That was ultra gay! Can't he lie?" The blonde crossed her arms smugly, confident with her logic.

"Oh my, oh my! I see your point, pig. Remember that time after Naruto had beaten him? Oh, Neji just couldn't stop talking about Naruto after that. And the hair, let's not start with the _hair._" Sakura said, taking a mouthful of chips as she muttered the last part.

"It's a Hyuuga tradition." Hinata said in defense, which came off to weak and soft for the girls to hear.

Tenten closed her eyes, took a deep breath and reminded herself that these girls were her friends. "Stop it guys, okay. I lied. Something happened."

Ino squealed, grabbing the girl in dilemma. "I knew it! Tell us the juicy details! I don't want anything to be left out."

She unfastened the ribbons fastening her hair and slumped her shoulders as the brown waves cascaded down. "He caught me."

The other girls' faces were inching closer in curiosity. Tenten would've laughed at the simultaneous bob of their heads had she not been in _that _position.

"He caught me staring at him. We stared at each other and…I…I don't know what to feel anymore."

She buried her face in her hands and tried to stop the sob to escape her lips. She felt like she was being too emotional, too silly over that simple fact. Perhaps that time of the month was coming, and her hormones are going haywire, but it was confusing, and frustrating, like that calculus problem she wasn't able to solve.

Feelings were a weak point of hers. Growing up alone, she learned to block them and show selective ones. She preferred only to show the positive ones, and when she felt sad or lonely, she'll just have to drown those feelings out. She learned to suppress her emotions, because that was what she had to do in order to combat insanity. Showing what she really felt in front of the girls…it felt like baring her soul. She was embarrassed.

Ino stroked her back gently. "Tenten, I think you are in denial. You know how you feel, but you are in denial."

Confused and irritated, she snapped her head up. "What?"

"We think you've long ago known that you _like _Neji. Now that he's showing that he likes you back, you are having a hard time digesting it. Things were going pretty fast for you, Ten-chan, but you can do nothing but admit that you like him." Sakura explained.

"B-but—" She sputtered.

"No buts. Ten, you have to risk it. You can't like someone without risking it. Hinata are you taking notes?" Ino said firmly and turned her head from Tenten to the other girl.

"Y-Yes Ino-chan. I—I can s-see where you're c-coming from."

Risk. Liking someone is a risk. The friendship is at risk. The relationship is at risk. Everything is at risk.

'_But that's how life is—taking risks and climbing out shouting 'I tried.'.' _

"I—I think you're all right." She beamed.

There was a sudden beeping sound, Sakura's phone rang.

She reached for it and read the text message. Her eyes instantly shot to Tenten, looking worried. "Naruto texted. Neji lost something, and he said he was clearly agitated."

Tenten's heart thumped, nervous and worried at the same time. If it was such a trivial thing, Naruto wouldn't have had to tell them about it. Whatever it was Neji had lost must've been something important to him. She raked her mind for an answer. It can't be money, since Hyūga's grow money on trees. He also can't be that upset if he just lost his phone. He barely uses it, Tenten even doubts if he even charges it at all. So what can it be?

"S-Sakura-chan? Can you a-ask N-Naruto-kun if what Neji-nii-san lost is a small, red, pouch.?" Hinata asked, flushing at the mention of her crush's name. Sakura nodded and began texting back.

Tenten's ears perked up at her question though, because if the answer to Hinata's question was 'yes', _that _would be unbelievable. She once gave Neji hair ribbons for his birthday, as a prank, nothing else. Surely, he wouldn't keep that piece of garbage around, would he? She just stitched up some cloths and used her mediocre embroidery for his name, the ribbons were hers.

'_Not the pouch, not the pouch, Neji I'll kill you if you still kept that piece of crap!'_

Sakura's phone beeped again, "Naruto said 'yes, it was a tiny, red pouch. Just that?"

"N-Neji-nii-san had kept that too long to remember. He…He said it was given by s-someone important. W-When he—"

Tenten stood up abruptly.

"Tenten? What's wrong?"

She hurried out of Ino's house, and for the record, Tenten had never ran that fast in her entire life.

**Neji**

The world could end for all he cared.

He had to find it. He had to have Tenten's gift back.

He seriously hoped no one had found it and took it home or to the trash. Heck, he'd even have it announced on television and offer reward for it. But that was the last, last resort. He could still find it, _he will find it._

He only realized it was missing when he reached into his pocket for bills. He did not feel the silken pouch in there, when he knew he had put—Oh, he must've dropped it when he turned around and faced the boys. It had happened to him once, and that should have been enough to be careful of his belongings.

'_I must've dropped it here…by the entrance.'_

The others offered their help, and Neji swallowed his pride. It was his pride that led to its loss in the first place. Shikamaru advised them to retrace their steps, and the boys gladly volunteered eager to help their president. Neji decided to look at the school entrance, because that was his gut-feel.

'_I need to get it back…If I can't take care of a small keepsake, how can I even take care of Tenten? How can I keep her with me if I had lost something she had given?'_

He was searching in the bushes when he heard steps coming up behind him. He didn't turn around, it wasn't his priority.

"Neji."

He stood straight and turned to her. She was panting, and sweaty, her hair down and clad in sweatpants and hoodie. She looked like she ran in haste from the Yamanaka residence to Konoha High, and that was quite a feat because Ino's house was quite a distance from the school.

"Tenten? What are you doing here?"

"Neji, I like you. I like you more than a best friend would. I like you…I…like you."

The cold night air whizzed between them as silence stretched and enveloped the two. Neji forgot all about the keepsake. What mattered was Tenten, and the words that came out of her mouth, and the distance that seemed to be shortening as neither he nor she realized that they'd been walking towards each other.

Tenten never looked as small and fragile and beautiful as she did that moment. She only reached his chin. Her face was tilted up towards him, eyes glazed with tears waiting to be shed, her bottom lip quivering.

Suddenly, he knew what to do.

He leaned down, and reached for her cheek, cupping it as his forehead rested upon hers. His thumb brushed away the tears that managed to escape her hold. He whispered his reply, a faint repetition of her earlier words, before he pressed his lips to hers.

As he kissed her beneath the stars, in the back of his mind his worries were answered. The friendship? He'll be willing to risk it, if it wouldn't work, _they _could make it work. After all, he wasn't a prodigy for nothing.

**Ichiraku Ramen**

"Kiba, isn't that the red pouch Neji was looking for?" Chouji asked, seeing Kiba playing with it in his hands.

He grinned widely, canines bared mischievously. "Yep."

"Then—Oh, oh…"

"It's actually our plan, dogbreath, quit taking all the credit!" Naruto interjected.

"That was quite a plan, Kiba. But you'll have to give it back to Neji." Shino said.

Kiba scoffed. "Neji's too busy right know with Vice President. Doing kinky stuff with that aim of hers and her rumoured taste for bondage."

"Kiba sometimes you're worse than Ino." Chouji remarked, taking the pouch and fiddling with it.

"Lee's still looking for that you know." Naruto said before slurping down his eight bowl of ramen.

"Mendokuse."


End file.
